Cable clamping apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A device and method for clamping and pulling an elongated item such as a wire or cable through a path such as in a conduit for a main body with a bore, and inwardly directed pivoting teeth. The teeth are arranged in circular bands. The end of the item is gripped after insertion of the item, and is cut off and ejected when the pulling is completed.

PRIORITY

This application claims priority to the provisional patent applicationSer. No. 60/407,559 filed Aug. 30, 2002, entitled “Snagger”, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of releasably clamping and pullingelongated items such as, for example, wires and cables. Moreparticularly, the apparatus relates to an apparatus and method forreleasably clamping the end of an elongated item such as a wire or cablefor the purpose of pulling the wire or cable through a path such as, forexample, a path defined by a conduit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many circumstances in which it is desirable to releasablygrasp the end of an elongated item so that it can be pulled along apath, such as, for example, through a length of conduit. In theelectrical and telecommunication industries, for example, it is commonfor one or more cables or wires to be pulled through a conduit that willprovide a path for the wires. These circumstances arrive particularly inthe case of copper power and telecommunication wires, but they alsooccur with fiber optic cables, or any other type of cable or wire. Thewires or cables are typically run through a path formed by a conduitthat provides to the wire or cable structural protection as well asprotection from environmental factors such as moisture. The conduits caninclude, for example, typical metal or plastic type conduits which runthroughout buildings. Other examples include metal or plastic conduitsthat run in building foundations and underground, overhead conduits, andeven various conduits found inside vehicles such as aircraft. Conduitsmay also run overhead through power poles or up and down the length ofpower poles.

Depending on the circumstances, one or even a large number of wires orcables, referred to hereinafter as “lines” may be ultimately run througha conduit. For example, in the case of telephone lines, up to three tofive hundred pairs of lines may be found resulting in one cable that isone inch in diameter. The range of conduits found in industry is quitewide, and includes, by way of example only, typical conduits from 2inches up to 6 inches. Wires ranging for example from number 6 copper to750 mcm copper are often found. In some cases, the copper wire will be atwisted copper wire having a relatively thin insulation surrounding thecopper which itself is surrounded by ABS plastic sheathing. Aluminumwires may have a similar two layer insulation and sheathing.

Since splicing the ends of wires together can be difficult and timeconsuming, in telecommunications it is typically desirable to run thelongest single length of line possible at a time. In many circumstancesthe length of line, or “run” is typically made anywhere in the rangefrom 20 feet to 1800 feet. Also, the typical distance between junctionboxes in a conduit system is 150-300 feet, so runs of at least thislength are very common.

One circumstance that frequently occurs is the need to pull fourelectrical lines all at the same time, comprising three or fourelectrical lines depending on the electrical configuration, and onetypically smaller ground line. These four electrical lines are oftenrequired to be pulled through a steel conduit in the form of a pipe in abuilding or a PVC plastic pipe underground.

In some instances when performing such a pull, the distance of the pullcan become quite significant, and the force of the pull can be on theorder of 500-700 pounds per line, resulting in a total pull stress of2,000-3,000 pounds. Thus, it is desirable for a clamping system whichclamps onto the end of the line being pulled to be able to accommodatethe necessary force for the application.

One approach to gripping the end of a cable for a pull has been a typeof clamp which uses a body that receives the end of the wire and holdsit between two opposed but offset set screws. A clamp of this type isused on each wire separately where multiple wires are pulled at once. Adisadvantage of this system is that the time required for insertion ofthe wire and proper tightening of the set screws in order to achievesatisfactory pulling can be relatively long. Moreover, if an operatordoes not spend sufficient time with the set screw process, or is notproperly trained in setting up the system, wires may tend to slip out ofthe system. Moreover, some form of tightening tool such as a hex wrenchis required to be present both for tightening the set screws andloosening them after the pull has been completed.

Another type of cable clamping arrangement is a basket type grip havinga woven mesh that tightens around the line upon pulling force in afashion similar to a Chinese finger puzzle. When a group of cables is tobe pulled, they are typically all wrapped together and pulled by asingle length of mesh. In order to provide proper gripping force, thissystem requires the mesh to be significantly elongated in order to havesufficient frictional force. Since the gripped length of wire typicallyneeds to be discarded, this method can lead to a greater waste of theend of the cable than the set screw apparatus. Moreover, this systemrequires typically even more time and attention to attach to the end ofthe line or lines than the set screw device described above.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an apparatus and method thatcan conveniently and securely clamp on the end of an item to be pulledthrough a path such as a conduit. It would also be desirable to havesuch a device that can provide an adequate pulling force as needed inindustry. Further, it would be desirable to have such a device that canrapidly and conveniently be used without necessarily requiring anadditional tool for the attachment and release steps. Further, it wouldbe desirable for the device to be durable and reusable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The foregoing needs are met, to at least to a great extent, by thepresent invention, which provides an apparatus and method for releasablyclamping elongated articles such as wires or cables. In someembodiments, the invention provides an apparatus and method that canconveniently and securely clamp on the end of a line to be pulledthrough a path such as a conduit, and that can rapidly and convenientlybe used without necessarily requiring an additional tool for theattachment and release steps.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus forreleasably clamping onto the end of an elongated item has a main bodyhaving a bore therethrough, and a plurality of pivoting teeth pivotedlymounted to the main body and projecting generally inward into the bore.

In accordance with another embodiment aspect of the present invention,an apparatus for releasably clamping onto the end of an elongated item,has a main body having a bore therethrough, and pivoting means forgripping the item pivotedly mounted to the main body and projectinggenerally inward into the bore.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a methodfor pulling an elongated item through a path, includes inserting an endof the item into the bore of a body having pivoting teeth projectinggenerally radially inward in the bore, applying a pulling force to theitem so that the pivoting teeth clamp on the item apply a resistiveforce in the pulling direction to pull the item, maintaining the pullingforce to pull the item along the path, cutting the pulled end of theitem off to form a cut end, and displacing the cut end of the itemthrough the bore in the direction of original insertion to eject the cutend from the body.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of theinvention in order that the detailed description thereof that followsherein may be better understood, and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course,additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below andwhich will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of theinvention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of construction and to thearrangements of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments inaddition to those described and of being practiced and carried out invarious ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology andterminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for thepurpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conceptionupon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cutaway view showing a clamp device according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention clamped onto the end of a line beingpulled through a conduit.

FIG. 2 is a cutaway view showing the end of the line being clamped whileit is being cut off from the remainder of the line after having beenpulled completely through the conduit.

FIG. 3 is a disassembled cutaway view showing a cap portion of the clampdisassembled from a body portion so that the cut end of the line can bepushed out one end of the body of the clamp.

FIG. 4 is a disassembled perspective view of the cap and body of theclamp.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing four clamps according to anembodiment of the present invention attached to a common carabiner whichis pulled by a tugger.

FIG. 6 is a side view, including hidden lines, of the cylindrical bodyand cap of the device assembled together.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taking through line 7—7 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a tooth.

FIG. 9 is a top view of the tooth of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus andmethod for releasably clamping elongated items such as wires or cables.Some embodiments of the invention can conveniently and securely clamp onthe end of a line to be pulled through a path such as a conduit,providing adequate pulling force as needed in industry. The clampingdevice that can rapidly and conveniently be used without necessarilyrequiring an additional tool for the attachment and release steps.Further, some embodiments of the device are durable and reusable. Apreferred embodiment of the invention will now be described withreference to the drawing Figures, in which like reference numerals referto like elements throughout.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 1 and 3, a clamping device 10 isillustrated which has a cylinder body 12. The cylinder body 12 has afirst open end 14 and a second internally threaded open end 16.Continuing with FIG. 1 but also referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a number ofpivoting teeth 18 are arranged in circumferential rings spaced fromaxially each other. The teeth 18 project generally inwardly from thecylinder body 12, and are mounted within slots 17 which penetrateentirely through the walls of the cylinder body 12. The pivoting teeth18 are each retained by a pin 19 to pivot around the pin 19. Slots 17are elongated and the rear or radially outwardmost portion of thepivoting teeth 18 move within the elongation of the slot 17 duringpivoting of the respective tooth 18. The rear portion 40 of a tooth 18is seen in FIGS. 8 and 9. The bore 41 in the tooth 18 receives the pin19.

If the pulling device. 10 is oriented generally vertically as shown inFIG. 1, the teeth 18 will tend to fall to a downward, or radialinwardmost resting position. The teeth 18 are limited in their downwardtravel by the contact interference of the rear or radially outward mostportion 40 of the tooth 18 with the end of the slot 17. The restingplace angle is preferably approximately 15 degrees relative to the planeperpendicular to the cylinder body 12. However, it will be appreciatedthat the resting angle could be greater or lesser. It is generallypreferred that the resting angle be selected such that insertion of wireW, as shown in FIG. 1 will cause the teeth 18 to pivot in the directionof insertion, such as upward as shown in FIG. 1.

Returning now to particularly FIG. 1, when a wire W is inserted in theopen end 14 of the body 12, as it passes each row of teeth 18 it willdisplace the teeth 18 slightly in the direction of insertion (upward inFIG. 1) and the inward tips of the teeth 18 will ride along the outersurface of the wire W. Once the wire W has passed one or more rows ofteeth 18, any force in the opposite direction to the insertion direction(downward in FIG. 1) will cause the tips of the teeth 18 to frictionallyengage with the outer surface of the wire W. Frictional contact willcause the teeth 18 to tend to pivot downward and thus grip or clamp ontothe wire W and resist any pulling of the wire W in this oppositedirection. Further, due to the angled condition of the teeth 18 as theyare gripping the wire W, pulling forces are converted into a forcehaving an inward component which tends to cause the frictional fit tobecome greater as the pulling force increases.

Thus, it will be appreciated that the actual gripping and pulling forcesare transmitted from the pivoting teeth 18 to the pins 19 and thus intothe body 12. As shown by FIGS. 2, 6 and 7, resistance of the pins use ofthe teeth 18 to any further pivoting or release of the wire W isprovided by the geometry imposed by the teeth 18 and pins 19. Thus, itis not necessary that any interference between the back end 40 of theteeth 18 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) and the edge of the slot 17 directly occur.Accordingly, although interference between the back end 40 (see FIGS. 8and 9) of the teeth 18 and the slot 17 is used to define the restingposition of the teeth, such interference is not necessarily needed forthe pulling force resistance. Alternatively, the teeth 18 can beprovided with a lobe that contacts the inner wall of the body 12 toresist excessive pivoting, and therefore resist pulling forces.

The teeth 18 may preferably have some degree of sharpening at their tip42 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) so that they tend to dig to some extent into theouter surface of the wire W. FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a teeth 18 havingthe radially outwardmost portion 40 that interferes with the slot 17 tolocate the resting position, and a sharp tip 42 having a tip angle andto provide grip. The sharpened tip 42 enhances the ability of the teeth18 to provide a resistant force. However, it will be appreciated thatsubstantial penetration or digging into the wire W in many instanceswill not be required, and that the tips 42 at the teeth 18 may haveother suitable features and/or surface treatments for providing africtional force against the outer surface of the wire W. Because inmany instances the gripped end of the wire is simply discarded after thepull, however, any damaging effect on the wire at the location of theteeth 18 is not necessarily an undesirable result.

Returning now to FIGS. 1-4, the pulling device 10 further has aremovable cap 20. The cap 20 provides connection to a wire rope 22,which may have a loop or other connector at its end distal from the cap20. The affixing of the ball 23 to the end of the wire rope 22 can beaccomplished by process as known in the art. In some instances, the wirerope 22 may be provided with a ball 23, a knob, or some other suitablegripping feature, which is larger than a bore 25 which is providedthrough the end of the cap 20 and through which the rope 22 passes. Thewire rope 22 is further held to the cap 20 by for example, a pair of setscrews 24 which may be opposed from each other and tightened andconnected on to the end of the wire rope 22. The set screws arepreferably allen headless type set screws. In this instance, the setscrews 24 are not required to resist the pulling force, but rather iftightened will serve to prevent rotation about the longitudinal axis ofthe wire rope relative to the cap 20. When pulling is performed with theset screws 24 loosened, then the device 10 will be free to rotaterelative to the wire rope 22, so that undesirable twisting will not beimparted to the wires being pulled. This helps avoid possible shearingof the wires. However, the set screws 24 can be tightened to prevent theaxial rotation of the clamping device about its axis, when desired, forexample when retrieving a single line.

The cap 20 has an externally threaded end 26 which mates with theinternal threads 16 of the cylinder body 12. Turning now to FIG. 6, thesides of the cap 20, and the sides of the threaded end 16 of the body12, may be provided with respective opposed flats to facilitate grippingof these two items by wrenches in order to tighten and loosen the cap 20on to the cylinder body 12.

Some aspects of the method of operation of the clamping device 10 willnow be described, with particular reference to FIGS. 1-4. Initially, auser begins with the device 10 configured as shown in FIG. 1 (butwithout any wire inserted) with the cylinder body 12 fully threaded ontothe cap 20. The pulling wire rope 22 at this stage is extending out ofthe cap 20 and may or may not be attached to a tugging device which willprovide motive force for the eventual tugging. With the pulling devicearranged as in FIG. 1 (but without any wire inserted), the end of thewire W to be pulled is then inserted, preferably as far as possible,into the interior of the cylinder body 12 through the end 14. Thiscauses the teeth 18 to pivot in the direction of the insertion into thecondition shown in FIG. 1. In this condition, the pivoting teeth 18 willresist the pulling force that would tend to pull the wire W out of thedevice 10, and so tugging on the pulling wire rope 22 effectively pullsthe wire through the conduit C. If not already so connected, the pullingwire rope is connected to a material tugger if necessary and pullingforce is applied to pull the wire through the path in the conduit. FIG.6 also illustrates the open end 14 of the cylinder body 12 having atapered entrance, which facilitates smooth insertion of the wire W.

As shown in FIG. 2, once the pulling is complete and the wire W is nowin the free space outside the other end of the conduit, the wire W canbe cut generally by a tool T such as a conventional wire cutter. Thiswill leave an end of the wire W1 in a freshly cut and substantiallyundamaged condition and ready for splicing or connection to anotheritem. The cut off end W2 will tend to stay held by the pulling device 10because of its contact with the pivoting teeth 18. To remove the cut endW2 from the pulling device 10, a preferable step is to unscrew the cap20 off of the body 12, and then push the cut end W2 in the directionshown by the arrow A. In some instances, the unscrewing of the cap 20may be done with hand pressure. In other instances, a tool such as awrench may be needed and is particularly suitable where flats areprovided, such as flat 32 on the cylinder body 12 and flat 34 in the cap20 as shown in FIG. 6.

Returning to FIG. 3, the pushing on the wire end W2 in direction A mayoften be accomplished simply by orienting the cylinder body 12 so thatthe direction A downward so that the force of gravity on the wire end W2will cause the wire end W2 to fall out. In other instances, handpressure at the end of W2 may be required to overcome any residualfrictional gripping on the wire, and in other instances pushing with atool or similar steps may be employed to free the wire W2. Once the wireend W2 has been ejected, the pulling device 10 is in the configurationshown in FIG. 4, and is ready for the cylinder body 12 to be reattachedto the cap 20 so that the clamping device 10 may be reused.

The illustrated embodiment has sixteen pivoting teeth 18, arranged infour bands of four teeth each. This number of teeth has been foundpreferable for certain sizes of wires and expected pull lengths and pullresisting forces. For example, this number of teeth is suitable forcertain applications ranging from number 4 copper wire to 250 mcm copperwire with pulling forces up to 1,000 pounds per wire being pulled.However, it will be appreciated that different numbers of pivotingteeth, including different numbers of circular bands, and differentnumbers of radially spaced teeth within a band, may both beadvantageously employed. The number of teeth employed around a singleband preferably is even number so that pairs of teeth are directlyopposed to each other, but odd numbers of teeth may also beadvantageously employed.

It will be appreciated that the pivot sweep of the teeth 18 will permita device 10 of a certain size, having a certain diameter of cylinderbody 12, to accommodate at least to some degree a range of sizes ofwires W to be pulled. For a given size device 10, different sizes ordiameters of wires W to be pulled will involve the teeth 18 having adifferent gripping angle during the pulling process. The gripping anglefor optimum pulling force is generally approximately 45 degrees betweenthe axis of the tooth and the sidewall of the wire W, however, manyembodiments of the invention can perform their function at angles bothgreater and less than a 45 degrees gripping angle.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary arrangement in which four clampingdevices 10 are used. In the case of pulling four wires at once, the fourclamping devices 10 are each connected by a respective wire rope 22 to asingle loop or carabiner 36, so that all of the devices 10 are pulled atthe same rate. Regardless of the number of devices 10, in the case ofthe electrical industry, is common for the devices to be pulled ortugged by a tugging line 38. In some cases this tugging line 34 may beattached to a power operated take-up roll by a power-operated devicethat can provide the pulling force necessary. FIG. 5 illustrates anexample where the clamping devices 10 are staggered so that the diameterof the conduit needs to be only be somewhat larger than the diameter ofone of the devices 10. Thus, the conduit need only accommodate thediameter of a single device 10 and the three other wire ropes 22 in theillustrated embodiment.

Although an example of the device is shown pulling a wire it will beappreciated that other items can be gripped. Also, although the deviceis useful to pull items through conduit it can also be used to pullitems through other paths and/or in other industries.

The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from thedetailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claimsto cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fallwithin the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, sincenumerous modifications and variations will readily occur to thoseskilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to theexact construction and operation illustrated and described, andaccordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resortedto, falling within the scope of the invention.

1. An apparatus for releasably clamping onto the end of an elongateditem, comprising: a main body having a bore therethrough; and aplurality of pivoting teeth each pivotedly mounted to the main body by arespective hinge pin and projecting generally inward into the bore,different ones of the teeth being located at different angular locationsfrom each other around the inner circumference of the body.
 2. Anapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of teeth comprisesat least two teeth equally spaced in a circular band, located in a planeperpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the bore.
 3. An apparatusaccording to claim 2, wherein the plurality of teeth comprises at leasttwo bands of teeth, each band having two or more teeth equally spaced inthe band, and each band located in a respective plane perpendicular to alongitudinal axis of the bore.
 4. An apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the plurality of teeth comprises at least three teeth equallyspaced in a band, located in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinalaxis of the bore.
 5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein theplurality of teeth comprises at least two bands of teeth, with each ringhaving at least three teeth equally spaced in the band, and each bandlocated in respective plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of thebore.
 6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the teeth each havea sharpened tip that grip the elongated item when the item is pulled. 7.An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elongated item is a wireor cable.
 8. An apparatus for releasably clamping onto the end of anelongated item, comprising: a main body having a bore therethrough; anda plurality of pivoting teeth pivotedly mounted to the main body andprojecting generally inward into the bore, wherein the apparatus is usedwith a pulling device, and the main body has a first open end adapted toreceive the elongated item, and a second open end, and wherein thedevice further comprises a cap releasably attachable to the second endthat is adapted to connect the second end to the pulling device.
 9. Anapparatus according to claim 8, wherein the cap is threadably attachableto the body.
 10. An apparatus for releasably clamping onto the end of anelongated item, comprising: a main body having a bore therethrough; anda plurality of pivoting teeth pivotedly mounted to the main body andprojecting generally inward into the bore, wherein the teeth are eachpivotably mounted by a respective pin press fit into the body, andwherein the teeth each have a rear portion that moves through at leastpart of the length of a respective slot in the main body duringpivoting.
 11. An apparatus for releasably clamping onto the end of anelongated item, comprising: a main body having a bore therethrough; andpivoting means for gripping the item pivotedly mounted to the main bodyand projecting generally inward into the bore, and having a plurality ofpivoting teeth each pivotedly mounted to the main body by a respectivehinge pin and protecting generally inward into the bore, different ofthe teeth being located at different angular locations from each otheraround the inner circumference of the body.
 12. An apparatus accordingto claim 11, wherein the means for gripping comprises at least two teethequally spaced in a ring, located in a plane perpendicular to alongitudinal axis of the bore.
 13. An apparatus according to claim 11,wherein the elongated item is a wire or cable.
 14. An apparatus forreleasably clamping onto the end of an elongated item, comprising: amain body having a bore therethrough; and pivoting means for grippingthe item pivotedly mounted to the main body and projecting generallyinward into the bore, wherein the apparatus is used with a pullingdevice, and the main body has a first open end adapted to receive theelongated item, and a second open end, and wherein the device furthercomprises connecting means releasably attachable to second end forconnecting the second end to the pulling device.
 15. An apparatusaccording to claim 14, wherein the connecting means is threadablyattachable to the body.
 16. An apparatus for releasably clamping ontothe end of an elongated item, comprising: a main body having a boretherethrough; and pivoting means for gripping the item pivotedly mountedto the main body and projecting generally inward into the bore, whereinthe means for gripping comprises teeth pivotably mounted by pins pressfit into the body, and wherein the teeth each have a rear portion thatmoves through at least part of the length of a slot in the main bodyduring pivoting.
 17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein theteeth have a sharpened tip that clamps the elongated item when the itemis pulled.
 18. A method for pulling an elongated item through a path,comprising the steps of: inserting an end of the item into the bore of abody having a plurality pivoting teeth projecting generally radiallyinward in the bore and having the teeth each pivotedly mounted to themain body by a respective hinge pin and projecting generally inward intothe bore, different of the teeth being located at different angularlocations from each other around the inner circumference of the bodyapplying a pulling force to the item so that the pivoting teeth clamp onthe item apply a resistive force in the pulling direction to pull theitem; maintaining the pulling force to pull the item along the path;cutting the pulled end of the item off to form a cut end; and displacingthe cut end of the item through the bore in the direction of originalinsertion to eject the cut end from the body.
 19. A method for pullingan elongated item through a path, comprising the steps of: inserting anend of the item into the bore of a body having pivoting teeth projectinggenerally radially inward in the bore. applying a pulling force to theitem so that the pivoting teeth clamp on the item apply a resistiveforce in the pulling direction to pull the item; maintaining the pullingforce to pull the item along the path; cutting the pulled end of theitem off to form a cut end; and displacing the cut end of the itemthrough the bore in the direction of original insertion to eject the cutend from the body, wherein the step of pushing the cut end to eject thecut end further comprises the step of: removing a cap from the tool bodyto permit ejection of the cut end.
 20. A method according to claim 18,wherein the elongated item is a wire or cable.
 21. A method for pullingan elongated item through a path, comprising the steps of: inserting anend of the item into the bore of a body having a plurality of pivotingteeth projecting generally radially inward in the bore and having theteeth each pivotedly mounted to the main body by a respective hinge pinand projecting generally inward into the bore, different of the teethbeing located at different angular locations from each other around theinner circumference of the body applying a pulling force to the item sothat the pivoting teeth clamp on the item apply a resistive force in thepulling direction to pull the item; maintaining the pulling force topull the item along the path; cutting the pulled end of the item off toform a cut end; and displacing the cut end of the item through the borein the direction of original insertion to eject the cut end from thebody; wherein the teeth are each pivotably mounted by a respective pinpress fit into the body, and wherein the teeth each have a rear portionthat moves through at least part of the length of a respective slot inthe main body during pivoting.